Now I have a plan. How does this become a LEGO model? Look at the drawing I’ve made and remember that the main idea of microscale building is to make something as small as possible and yet have it remain recognizable. Keep in mind that each of the boxes (or cells) on the design grid is the same height as a standard 1x1 plate. Therefore three cells equal the same height as a standard 1x1 brick (see Figure 6-5).
To my eye, the bottom left and right corners of my sketch (shown in Figure 6-5) look very much like 1x1 LEGO bricks. Based on that assumption, I can quickly figure out what bricks and plates might work best to construct the rest of the building. In Figure 6-6, I added in some light and dark gray plates to suggest what elements I will use to build the real model.
Although these may not be the exact pieces I end up using, they give me a sense of what types of elements I’ll need.
You can see (in Figure 6-6) that I have only represented some of the windows and even then, they are only represented by dark gray plates that I intended to give the feel of windows. As I continue to match the sketch with appropriate sized elements (based on the 1x1’s I started with) it doesn’t take long for a little building like this to come together as the finished model you see in Figure 6-7.
In the final version, I’ve included a foundation made from standard plates, though how you choose to do this (in your own version) is entirely up to you. For instance, if you were using this building as part of a larger microscale exhibit, you might need it to sit on something different—perhaps a waffled baseplate.
You’ll find that if you look carefully at this model, you can see that it’s constructed almost entirely of plates. Not every micro model will be like this but, in many cases, the smaller size of plates offers you greater creative control over your work. Of course, you may not have the right number of light and dark gray plates to make this exact replica of the Empire State Building, but don’t let that stop you from making one anyway. Try building one from just bricks to see if you can match the shape. Or try using other colors to come up with your own version. You could use white, tan, or even yellow bricks and plates to make something that at least resembles this famous landmark. Remember that was the goal—to make something that resembled this building but didn’t necessarily duplicate every last detail.
Note
You can find complete instructions for both the cargo ship in Figure 6-1 and the Empire State Building in Figure 6-7 at www.apotome.com/instructions.html.
You’ve now seen that building microscale models is as easy as following three simple steps:
Sketch out the edges. Identify the outline of the object you’re building, ignore any other details. This gives you the essential shape to use as a starting point.
Find the features. Look for major features, especially interesting shapes or patterns that help define the basic look of the object.
Discover the details. Pick some of the smaller details to model. Be careful to select only things that are critical to the overall feel of the object.
It’s not really necessary to use paper and pencil to work out the design of your model, though you may find it very useful. Sometimes part of the fun is just digging through your LEGO bricks and working through the steps with the real elements in your hands. You can simply take apart mistakes and rebuild that portion. Some mistakes become happy accidents that end up being better solutions than the ones you originally had in mind. Either way, the benefit is that you are thinking in three dimensions and solving problems as you go.